Resident Evil Requiem review: a tale of two horrors

Resident Evil Requiem is a game of two halves: one starring FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft as she realises her world is far darker than it first appears, and one starring veteran soldier Leon S Kennedy as he seeks to put an end to the horrors that have plagued him for decades.

As a requiem for the franchise, this adventure is a layered, thoughtful sequel. It manages to neatly weave two vastly different gameplay tones together, with each of its elements well-designed to create a cohesive, balanced adventure.

There are moments in Resident Evil Requiem where you’ll be gripped by panic, as Grace faces off with some new, towering monster, all oozing flesh and jagged teeth. There are moments where you’ll feel the highs of victory, as Leon mashes through a wave of zombies using a stolen chainsaw.

With a steady back-and-forth between these moments of sheer terror and outright glee, Requiem hauls you along a story that forces you to reckon with its core message: that even against the encroachment of nightmares, the world is worth fighting for.

Grace Ashcroft’s tale of woe

Grace is the core focus of Resident Evil Requiem and the lynchpin of an evolving story that begins with historical Resident Evil plot threads – although Leon arguably does get more chances to shine.

While the plot doesn’t dwell too heavily on what’s come before, it follows the events of Resident Evil 2 and its Outbreak spin-off closely, as former game protagonist Alyssa Ashcroft kicks off a new mystery. In brief flashbacks, we see Alyssa murdered in the spooky Wrenwood Hotel, with these events eventually coming to haunt her daughter, Grace.

After more than a decade, the horrors of Wrenwood Hotel rear their head again, and Grace is thrust into a new world of pain. A dishevelled doctor kidnaps her and speaks of a grander fate – a future involving the deadly T-virus, which is in the process of breaking out once more.

Grace’s gameplay segments are defined by a sweaty, wide-eyed terror. She’s haunted by the past but new to the world of overt horror. As the T-virus spreads and she encounters all manner of mutated beasts, she can only deal with what her senses tell her: fight or flight.

In a particularly horrific early game chase, Grace must use quick thinking to escape from a giant, mutated woman who crawls through overhead vents and bursts through doors the moment she hears any sounds. Survival requires some trial and error, with each wrong step causing an end you’ll need to look away from. But this process is paired with triumph, elevating the game’s horror as a test of skill.

You’ll need to keep your wits as Grace’s story progresses, with mechanics similar to Resident Evil 2 allowing you to chart the creepy corridors of a hospital setting, with new horrors awaiting around every corner – to be escaped or fought, as Grace comes to grips with her resilience and power.

The joy of overcoming your fears is elevated in Leon’s tale, which filters throughout Grace’s story as well as getting its own dedicated, action-oriented segments.

Leon’s tale of chainsaws and zombies

While Grace charts a world of terror, Leon works alongside her, relying on veteran instincts and survival skills to carve a path. He’s not always positioned strictly as a saviour, although he does play a role in Grace’s long-term survival.

At first, he’s more of a mentor. He arrives in the nick of time, sometimes, and encourages Grace to swallow her horror if she’s to have any hope of survival – and from there, we see her evolution into a stronger, more resilient and quick-thinking character.

There is an element of tonal dissonance in Leon’s dual gameplay segments, as the horror is so muted by his experience. The gameplay here is more about fantasy and wish fulfilment, with stylish gun-based combat and chainsaw flourishes.

But with hordes of roaming enemies to defeat, and a vast array of enemies – from shambling zombies to towering, fleshy beasts – there’s enough disgust to maintain the game’s tone of grim, dark horror as Leon grits his teeth against an ever-advancing swarm.

Horror comes in all shapes, and Resident Evil Requiem leans into many different tropes for its tale, well-balancing Grace and Leon’s dual perspectives.

It’s occasionally grimy and horrific, with ample gore to emphasise the trauma facing its heroes. It’s also occasionally punchy and smarmy, with Leon using snark to cover his fears, to pretend to be the action hero he’s required to be.

Resident Evil Requiem is an entirely human experience

As the name suggests, Requiem is designed to reflect the full breadth of the Resident Evil franchise, from its darker horror moments to its cheesier, action-oriented skirmishes. There are moments where it ventures too far into the world of cheese, particularly in late-game segments, but the humour and weirdness is typical of the franchise, and adds to its wild charm.

This is fundamentally a game about people surviving against terrible odds, and people do tend to be awkward, weird and silly. Grace tries her best to stay strong, and gets only part of the way there. She survives with clipped, gasping breaths and lets her fear overwhelm her on occasion.

Leon plays the role of the tired old man perfectly, complete with dry sarcasm that underscores his years.

Even when you’re wiping away zombies, or charting new and more complex environmental puzzles, Resident Evil Requiem remains delightfully, messily human.

It’s sometimes big and bold and stupid. But it’s also tense when it needs to be, and you feel each new reveal and twist with a heart-pounding thump. Horror needs a delicate balance, of terror and catharsis, of weakness and power.

Resident Evil Requiem manages this distinct balance very well, telling its dual stories with a real sense of finesse, in a way that allows for both Grace and Leon to shine. Both of their experiences colour their individual tales, as well as how they work together, as Requiem barrels towards a conclusion that will leave you wide-eyed and breathless.

_{A PlayStation 5 code for Resident Evil Requiem was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review.}

Discover more screen, games & arts news and reviews on ScreenHub and ArtsHub. Sign up for our free ArtsHub and ScreenHub newsletters.